Visa Launching NFT Program to Support Digital Artists
The financial services giant is partnering with Aku creator and former Major League Baseball player Micah Johnson, who once sold $1 million worth of art in one minute.
Oct 13, 2021 at 9:48 p.m. UTC:format(webp)/downloads.coindesk.com/arc/failsafe/placeholders/16x9.png)
Helene is a U.S. markets reporter at CoinDesk, covering the US economy, the Fed, and bitcoin. She is a recent graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program.
Visa is launching a non-fungible token (NFT) support program to help artists join the digital art space.
- The financial services giant is partnering with former Major League Baseball player turned NFT artist Micah Johnson to build a program that will support artists who want to use NFTs to sell their work, Visa said in a press release.
- Visa will select a small group of creators through an application process and then help them learn about the crypto and blockchain industry.
- “We believe that we are at the beginning of a digital renaissance in the world of art and content creation,” Visa’s Head of Crypto Cuy Sheffield wrote on Twitter. “New technologies emerging in the crypto ecosystem, like NFTs, have the potential to lower the barrier to entry for digital creators across the world to build their own small businesses.”
- Johnson joined the digital art space in 2020 and is the creator of Aku, an animated black astronaut character, which has become the first NFT to be optioned for a feature film. Aku was released in February 2021 on Nifty Gateway and sold more than $2 million in NFT tokens in 24 hours.
- “Working together [with Visa], we want to arm creators with the resources they need to stay at the forefront of this revolution,” Johnson said in a statement.
DISCLOSURE
Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
:format(webp)/www.coindesk.com/resizer/Bq34fFDLQLAxJq7jRzq--axWcvs=/arc-photo-coindesk/arc2-prod/public/BPHZ3N4FINGKHP4PJNCM265SOM.jpg)
Helene is a U.S. markets reporter at CoinDesk, covering the US economy, the Fed, and bitcoin. She is a recent graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.
Helene is a U.S. markets reporter at CoinDesk, covering the US economy, the Fed, and bitcoin. She is a recent graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program.
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/AP6VNQRHFZHVHCOP6MN2X4U3LI.jpg)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/NPDMEQH2EBA7VMLADJVMPZEOCM.jpg)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/YC3LT2GKARANHE7HWJQPU33OU4.jpg)
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/3VYF3WODMRAPLDCCMHOPV62AYU.jpg)